Three Arrested for Prostitution at Massage Parlor in Hopewell Township

The Mercer County Narcotics Task Force arrested three women seized of $20,796 after a two-week undercover investigation at a massage parlor in Hopewell Township.

On Thursday, May 28, officers executed search warrants at Bala Bala Massage, which is located at 2479 Pennington Avenue (Route 31) in Hopewell Township.

Prosecutors said that during the course of the investigation, undercover officers were solicited for sex by three women working at the establishment. At approximately 3:48 p.m. Thursday, officers executed the search warrants for the premises and located four females inside. Officers seized bank records and $20,796.

Officers with the prosecutor’s office, the county sheriff’s office, the Hopewell Township, Hamilton, Lawrence and Trenton police departments, the New Jersey State Police and Department of Homeland Security I.C.E., under the command of Lt. Michael Novembre, conducted the investigation and made the arrests.

Three of the women were transported to Hopewell Township Police Department for further investigation and processing. The fourth was not charged. Yu Zeng AKA “Angel”, age 28, of Flushing, New York is charged with soliciting prostitution, a disorderly persons offense. Xiao Lan Xie AKA “Cindy”, age 38, of Queens, New york is charged with soliciting prostitution, a disorderly persons offense. Feng Rong Chen, age 45, Queens, New York, is charged with promoting prostitution, a third degree crime.

10 comments

3 women! “Just 3 OLD women?!! ” How much tax payers money was used? How many entities? How many man hours? WHAT A DISGRACE! All of this to take down a couple of old women giving HJ’s! GREAT JOB GUYS! I FEEL SO MUCH SAFER NOW!!! How about the GUNS and DRUGS and violent crimes?!! Please don’t give a bunch “Bravo Sierra” about “These ops fund guns and drugs”

Were the Navy Seals not available? Why weren’t they involved? Absolutely ridiculous. A murder a day in Trenton and Homeland Security and all of our municipal township & State police investigating prostitutes? Really? How many happy endings did they get?

Pete,
I guess I can buy into that. But as a taxpayer, I have to wonder why one or even two police forces can’t handle an investigation of this type. They are all very well equipped.
One statute is not the province of one force. The entire criminal code is there for all of them to utilize.

Notice that the investigation was led by the Mercer County Narcotics Task Force aka the Vice Unit. The task force is made up of members of various police departments throughout Mercer County as well as state and federal agencies. So when all those agencies are listed it’s because members of those departments are assigned to the task force. As far as Homeland Security/I.C.E. that’s because prostitution operations often involve human trafficking.

Ok. Here’s a question. How many police forces does it take to bust prostitutes? Glad our local police (who I pay for with property taxes) got it done. I don’t fully comprehend why the Department of Homeland Security is involved in “happy endings.” Why are we paying for five police forces all working on the same case? In business, this is the path to ruin.